


King In All But Name

by She_comes_to_me_when_I_dream



Category: Panic! at the Disco, Ryden - Fandom, rydon - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Panic! at the Disco - Freeform, Ryden, Rydon, ryden au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2018-07-18 07:53:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7306243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/She_comes_to_me_when_I_dream/pseuds/She_comes_to_me_when_I_dream
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryden royalty au where Ryan is the king of a fictional country way back in the day and Brendon is his lover.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do NOT own anyone, anything, or any works or anything related to that list nor do I claim to. This fic is NOT real.

Part One

 

"You finally came to me." Ryan looked warmly at Brendon. 

"You summoned me." Brendon said from the doorway of the king's bath, returning his gaze, his dark brown eyes meeting Ryan's honey brown ones.

Ryan had met Brendon, a wealthy member of his court, two years before when a member of Brendon's family had married into status. From the beginning Ryan had thought he was beautiful and as he began taking a liking to him, Brendon had only risen in court as Ryan got to know him. Things between them grew during this time and eventually Ryan started courting him. In secret of course, it couldn't be known officially that the king of Arrenbourg had a male lover when he hadn't even sired a male heir. Ryan knew that. He also knew he would have to produce an heir at some point. He did. The problem was he wasn't attracted to the female form in any way. Before he met Brendon he had been sure the sex that the other men around him craved would only be a chore for him and was determined to put it off for a good long time. Then Brendon, who had had experience with other men discreetly, showed Ryan that love making could be very pleasurable if he let it be.

Heat pooled in Ryan and he ached for Brendon's touch every time he remembered the first time Brendon had kissed down his body and put his mouth on him. It had been a year ago, after a year long courtship where the most they had done was kiss. Even though some of their kissing sessions had grown extremely passionate it was nothing compared to when Brendon had finally bedded him. Ever since the first time Ryan had let himself be taken to bed by Brendon Ryan longed for Brendon's hands on his body. The king longed even more for Brendon in general during the time in between times when Brendon would come to his chambers. Ryan couldn't imagine marriage or being with anyone else.

Ryan sat up in the perfumed water of his bath. "I've been waiting for you. Come to me."

Brendon walked across the dark marble floor of the bathroom to where Ryan was relaxing in a large copper bathtub. Ryan bathed a lot more often than other royals before him. He always had soap made or imported in, sometimes both, and smelled good constantly and it practically intoxicated Brendon. Ryan tried to bathe at least every two days and he required his court members to bathe often under threat of demotion of their status. He had money from the treasury set aside so large quantities of soap could be imported frequently. Ryan wanted Arrenbourg to be a civilized country and civilized people were learned and did not walk around making others gag because of their stench. One of the things that attracted Ryan to Brendon in the first place was that Brendon never stank.

"Join me." Ryan moved backward in the water, leaving half of the massive metal tub for Brendon.

Brendon began to strip off his fine clothes, the black jacket he had been wearing a gift from Ryan. The king watched intently as Brendon exposed more and more of his pale skin until there was nothing left on his body.

Brendon kissed him after he settled into the water with Ryan, his lips soft, the kiss deep, his hand resting on the small of Ryan's back.

"I want you to take me tonight." Ryan told him when it ended.

Ryan was still a virgin in a major aspect from what his lover had told him one night around three months before after they had both came from passionately kissing and rutting against each other. He had never been taken properly. He had never had a man inside of him.

Brendon cupped his face lovingly. "Are you sure?"

"I've never wanted anything more." Ryan kissed him again.

_*_

Ryan stood with his arms around himself in his night shirt and fur lined dressing gown that was made of a thick silk brocade of red and gold threads. He wasn't sure why he had bothered to redress after leaving his bath. Nerves maybe; as much as he wanted this. 

Brendon stood at the mirrored table of sturdy dark wood that held chests of all of the king's jewels and skin oils and creams. He rooted through the glass jars and bottles, looking for something suitable to help ease his way into his lover. He wore absolutely nothing, the generous swell of his rear fully on display for Ryan to see. Brendon would decide on a crystal jar of white skin cream that was devoid of any fragrance. He walked back to the king's bed and set it down on the night table.  
He gestured for Ryan to come to him.

Brendon eased the weighty robe off of Ryan's shoulders when Ryan stood in front of him, leaving Ryan in his thin linen night shirt. One of Brendon's most favorite things to think about was Ryan's shift all bunched up above his sharp hipbones, Ryan moaning and whimpering, while Brendon pleased him orally. Brendon kissed him and Ryan parted his lips to receive him as Brendon rucked up his shift, his hands running over Ryan's bare body underneath. Brendon held him in an embrace, kissing him feverishly for a few long moments. Then he helped Ryan get the shirt over his head, leaving Ryan bare before him in the glow of the candle light that filled the room.

"Lay back." Brendon said gently, guiding his lover down on to his back on the mattress. Ryan was propped against down pillows as Brendon climbed on top of his hips and began to kiss him again. 

_*_

After it was finished the two lay together, entwined and sweat slicked, their bodies close. Ryan was nothing less than in bliss from his lover’s attentions to him as he spoke to Brendon.

“When will you take me again?”

“When the soreness passes.” Brendon gave him a light kiss. “You have my word. I’ll take you multiple times a day my love. I will take you any way you desire.” He grinned filthily.

"I expect you never to lay with another man-"

"I have only had eyes for you since we first kissed." Brendon interrupted him. He tried not to feel insulted. Brendon had never been unfaithful in any way since his courtship with the king of Arrenbourg had begun. Did Ryan really think so little of him?

Ryan squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "I know love. I expect you never to lay with another man again because when I take a husband he is to be mine."

"What?" 

Brendon didn't just hear what he thought he did. Did he? The king didn't actually say he wanted him for a husband. It was at least what Brendon was telling himself in case he was right and he had misheard him and Ryan didn't want to marry him which he suspected was the case.

"Yes, Brendon. I want you to be my husband. If you'll have me. I’m mad for you all the time we are apart. You must be mine. You will be king in all but name."

Brendon tried to keep his eyes from welling up. Ryan wanted him to be his husband. Ryan wanted him and him alone.

Then his face fell as he remembered that he was a man and could not give what the king needed politically. "What about the future of Arrenbourg though? I can't give you an heir."

Ryan surely would change his mind now that he had been reminded of Brendon’s shortcomings. He wished it didn’t hurt so much.

"What about it? You let me worry over that. I will think of a way. It is decided. You will be my husband Brendon. I will tell my advisors at the state meeting tomorrow. Now we must sleep."

Brendon kissed the king hard, overcome with happiness. He felt Ryan melt against him. 

Ryan let his eyes close as Brendon left kisses over his jaw and neck, as loving as he had been whiles he was taking Ryan’s virginity. He could fall happily asleep like this, with Brendon kissing him and knowing that for the first time Brendon wouldn’t have to go back to his family’s suite of rooms in the castle as soon as the first light of morning broke through the clouds. They were to be married.

“You are right my sweet love. You must be exhausted.” Brendon pulled the thick red silk and linen bed clothes over Ryan and then got up to extinguish the candles in their holders that dripped with crystals.

When all the light was gone from the room, Brendon pulled the bed’s curtains shut around them and let Ryan curl up against him, Ryan’s head against his chest.

“Sleep my delicate flower.” He stroked Ryan’s hair. “You’ve done so well.”

 

_*_

Brendon was wearing the same clothes from the night before when he ran into one of Ryan’s good friends on his way back to his family’s quarters after breakfast. He had to speak with her now that she had spoken to him, simply because she was a higher rank at court than he was. Brendon didn’t mind. She was a lovely woman, graceful and musically inclined and there was the fact that he wasn’t exactly looking forward to telling his mother and father and siblings what exactly it was that he had been doing that had kept him, an unmarried man, all night in the king’s chambers.

“Good morning Duchess Berg.” He bowed shallowly, as was customary. Six seconds for higher ranked nobility and fifteen seconds for the king.

“I’ve heard a rumor this early morning about you?”

“What rumor might that be?”

“That I am soon to be referring to you as His Grace, the Grand Duke of Arrenbourg.”

“And where did you hear this rumor?” He could barely hold back his smile at the mention of his future marriage to Ryan.

“His Majesty the king himself.”

Brendon couldn’t contain his smile. Ryan was announcing their engagement to others already. That meant it was actually going to happen. 

He was going to be the king’s husband.


	2. Part Two

Part Two

"I am marrying him. I won't give him up." Ryan stared down his council. Half of them had been arguing heatedly with the other half across the long table at which they were all seated for ten minutes straight after he had announced his intent to marry Brendon to them this early morning. 

"Your Grace, you have not conceived an heir to continue your bloodline." Henry, one of the oldest members of the council, was not impressed or intimidated and was quick to speak his piece and continue debating with Ryan. "Brendon Urie cannot give you a son. It would be extremely unwise to marry him-"

"I am marrying him-"

"You could start a civil war without a son to-"

"Did I say I wasn't going to sire children, Henry? I will find a suitable woman in court and lay with her only for the purpose of giving this country an heir and only until she has given me a son."

"Every child you had would be dubbed a bastard!" Henry slammed his fist down against the wood, the black velvet hat he wore over his graying hair slipping sideways.

"If I cannot physically have children with my husband, a woman of my court will have to do the job for him. That is the way it will be. I am marrying Brendon Urie and as he will be my husband, you all will show him the same respect you show me."

Henry opened his mouth again to try to dissuade him but Ryan was having none of it.

"It is decided." Ryan declared and Henry shrank back, knowing better than to try to delve into the matter further.

Ryan took a moment to let his eyes scan over the maps and leather accounting books and letters piles on the table before speaking. "I trust there is a reason we are gathered aside from my future wedding."

"Yes." Henry cleared his throat. He was addressing Ryan much more quietly now. The tension in room hadn't yet broken. "The French king is asking about your loyalty to France and whether or not you plan to keep Arrenbourg allied with the French."

"Of course we should keep our alliance with France." Spencer Smith, who was one of Ryan closest and most trusted companions, said, joining the conversation. "We have a similar culture, most of us speak the French language, the French are practically our cousins-"

"Why is he even asking me this?" Ryan sighed, cutting Spencer, who was telling him of what he was already very well aware, off. "Our course I am keeping France as an ally. They have been one of our closest allies for generations. And the French are excellent to have around during a war. Powerful. We will remain allies. Is there anything else?"

Ryan soon found himself listening to stories of some infighting between some of his court members and going around in circles with his advisors trying to figure out how to appease one particular family without angering the other. It was all petty nonsense but as the king, he had to deal with it and maintain his court's loyalty to him. He listened and discussed his nobility for nearly an hour until he and his advisers found neutral solutions for them all.

The meeting was adjourned with Ryan assigning several of his council to attend to the latest shipments of imports and giving a select few others the task of spending the week's budget how he wanted it spent while he headed down to the castle's library to go through the books that had been brought back from all over Europe and even from the middle east by his traders.

"Have you given any thought as to who the woman bearing the next king of Arrenbourg will be?" Spencer joined him as he walked down the corridor away from the meeting hall. Spencer was a very loyal friend. Ryan had known him practically since birth. He had been in support of Ryan marrying whoever he damn pleased as Ryan was the king after all and Ryan was very gracious for that. He was a good, intelligent man.

Ryan needed as many of his council as possible to side with him so there wouldn't be any chance of them banding together to exercise removing him from the throne which could be done under certain circumstances. It wasn't often that the case against royals was strong enough to usurp them but it could happen and that was something Ryan needed to avoid.

"I have been looking at who may be a good match and I have given it some thought but ultimately it is something I will have to discuss with my husband as I will be bedding someone other than him." 

Spencer nodded to Ryan as Ryan gave his answer.

"I understand it is a delicate thing but I would not wait for too long to decide on someone. It would be better for you to get a woman with child sooner rather than later, Ryan."

"I am aware. I am not looking forward to the unpleasant task of telling him though. Our consummation is already going to have to be witnessed so none of my rivals will be able to try and have our marriage annulled as illegitimate and telling him that is going to be less than pleasant as it is."

"Well, I wish you luck. I have to be off."

"Spencer," Ryan stopped him before he could leave, "before you go, there is a silver box in my chambers on my bedside table. It contains one of my coronation rings. Will you make sure that it finds its way to Brendon?"

_*_

“How many times has he had you?”

This was the first thing out of his mother’s mouth when Brendon walked into the main great room of his family’s suite of rooms. His parents were sitting in the high backed chairs at the desk in the corner of the room, waiting for him. Brendon had put off this confrontation as long as he could. He had sat at the king’s table during breakfast and he had done some errands he needed to get done that day before making his way back to his mother and father after speaking with Duchess Berg. He had done them slowly too.

Brendon didn’t answer his mother. She knew and his father knew what had happened between him and the king the night before. They knew why he had disappeared after from the crowded dining hall for the king’s personal bedchamber after the evening meal had finished and hadn’t shown his face until right that very moment. This was the first morning he hadn’t slipped back into his bed before they had risen from their own bed, leaving them none the wiser. He knew that. They were not stupid people. His silence wasn’t denial.

“How many times has the king had you?!” She demanded.

Brendon sighed, steeling himself. This conversation had barely started and he wanted it finished. He was frankly exhausted with it. He just wanted Ryan to come to his parents and tell them of his plans to make Brendon his husband himself but Ryan was in a state meeting this morning with his advisers and those could very well last all morning. He couldn’t pull Ryan out of a meeting so was on his own for the time being.

“I’ve been courting him for two years, mother.”

Brendon’s mother face twisted in horror at her son. The expression was especially unpleasant in the bright sun of the new day that was streaming through the heavy glass window. 

“I should have known that you could not have gained the favor you did without…” She couldn’t even bring herself to say it, that Brendon was having relations with Ryan.

“You have ruined all of your prospects for marriage.” Her hands shook with rage. “What family would want a man who could easily have no qualms about committing adultery for their daughter-“

“I did not commit adultery. I am not yet married.” Brendon pointed out, voice thin with irritation. 

“You very well could since you clearly have no problems with improper fornication-“ His mother scoffed.

“I have bedded the man who will be my husband. It was perfectly proper.”

“You cannot honestly think the king plans to marry you!” His father snapped venomously. “How could you do such a thing?! Whoring in public for two years! We have tried so hard to make good matches for you and your brothers and sisters and you are throwing it away to be a royal dalliance! How can you think His Highness the king would marry you?! Who are you to him?!-“

"I am neither a dalliance or a whore-"

"That's exactly what you are! The king will not marry someone that cannot give him a son! I cannot believe you would bring such a scandal on our name-"

His father’s ranting was prematurely stopped with the arrival of Spencer Smith, the king’s closest friend and one of his most esteemed advisers.

Spencer walked over to Brendon, ignoring the scene that had been going on before he entered. He sat a circular box of elaborately hammered silver on the desk in front of Brendon.

Brendon’s parents were dumbstruck. They rarely had reason to go near Spencer, let alone talk to him. He definitely wouldn't be visiting their quarters.

“The king apologizes for not being able to give you this himself but he has been busy with his council all morning and is attending to some new imports that his traders brought back.” Spencer explained calmly. “He wanted me to make sure that it was given to you so that the public would know of his plans to wed you.”

“So it’s true?” Grace asked slowly, her tune completely changed. Brendon noticed she had paled out.

“Yes. It is.” Spencer nodded. “He announced it to his entire council this morning.”

Brendon’s father might have been whiter than his mother because of Spencer’s answer but Brendon was too busy flipping back the box’s lid, a massive smile on his face, to know for certain.

On a cushion of dark blue velvet sat a ring of thick, solid gold with a massive dark ruby. It was one of Ryan’s coronation rings and anyone who saw it would recognize it as such.

Brendon’s mother fainted.

_*_

“Hello love.” A smile overtook Ryan’s face as soon as he saw his ring on the hand that was suddenly on his shoulder. He closed the book he had been reading that evening, one of the new ones that had been brought back to Arrenbourg along with spices, fabrics, and other goods, but didn’t rise from where he was laying on his stomach on the mattress of his bed. 

“What language is that in?” Brendon knew Ryan was fluent in several and was curious as to which one he was reading tonight.

“Greek. I was hoping,” Ryan sat up and faced him, “that my traders had brought me back a French translation but unfortunately they had not. All is well I suppose; I need to improve my Greek anyway.”

“Is there any way I could pull His Grace away from his studies?”

“How many times have I asked you not to call me that? You are going to be my husband. You need not call me by a title. And,” Ryan pulled Brendon down to sit next to him and kissed him for a long moment, warm and sweet, “I was hoping you would.”

Brendon smirked. “Why is it,” He began to loosen Ryan’s silken blue quilted over jacket from his shoulders, exposing the almost see through linen beneath it, “that the king of Arrenbourg is allowed to wear so many clothes? I think your council should write a law forbidding it.”

“Mm.” Ryan kissed the corner of Brendon’s mouth and gently pushed his hands away. “First I need to discuss some things with you.”

Ryan patted the bed and Brendon lay back while he snuggled up against Brendon’s side.

“You know of my situation involving the need for an heir for this country.” Ryan started.

“Yes.”

“You cannot provide me with one and I am obligated to give this country an heir.” He continued. He truly hoped that Brendon wouldn’t hate him for what he was about to tell him, that he had to bed someone else to do his duty as king. He hoped Brendon wouldn’t call off their wedding. He wouldn’t force Brendon to marry him but it would break his heart and he didn’t know how he would live if Brendon refused him because of the whole situation Ryan took no pleasure in. “There is no getting around it, I cannot have civil war breaking out because there is no secure continuation to my bloodline but I think I have found a solution and I am sorry, I am so sorry my love, that this has to happen but I have considered many women and I spoke to Duchess Elizabeth Berg about it earlier.“

Brendon’s stomach dropped. 

“I am going to compensate her greatly. She has agreed to be the mother of the future king of Arrenbourg.”

Brendon stiffened. He felt sick. He understood this had to be done and that Ryan had no choice and he could tell that Ryan wasn’t happy about it but it still hurt him. “You are going to lie with someone other than me?”

Ryan kissed his jaw. “Please forgive me. I am so sorry.” His voice was pleading. “I do not want to hurt you. I will only bed her once, maybe twice as she has never bedded a man, so that she will be with child. It will not give me any pleasure to have to do the unpleasant task of deflowering her and I will be thinking of you the entire time.”

“Then you will have lain with her like you love her Ryan, and that will torment me more.”

“Brendon, I do not love her. I love you and you alone. I can assure you she does not love me. She is more sapphic in nature and she has long been in love with Countess Hawthorne. I am sure you have seen them together.”

“That is not as terrible.” Brendon decided after a long pause, the only thing he could offer. If Elizabeth didn’t harbor any attraction for Ryan then Brendon he would at least be able to attempt to try stomaching the idea of Ryan bedding her. “I am sorry Ryan. It has to be done. It is what you must do as king.”

Ryan shushed him. “Do not apologize to me. I know how much this is hurting you. I am sorry. I cannot say I am sorry enough. I am sorry for the other matter I need to discuss with you.”

Brendon was filled with dread but nothing could be as bad as what Ryan had just told him.

“I cannot have my enemies or anyone in my council turning traitor and trying to have my marriage to you annulled and because of this our wedding night,” Ryan forced himself to say it, “is going to have to have witnesses.”

Brendon stiffened again. The slightest bit of color rose in his face. He did not want people in their bedchamber watching him and Ryan make love. That was something for him and Ryan and no one else.

“I know.” Ryan sighed, “I know my love. It is so distasteful. I am not anticipating doing it at all. I wish it did not have to happen.”

“I do not want to think about it any longer.” Brendon told him.

“Of course you don’t.” Ryan flattened on his back and pulled Brendon on top of himself. “Kiss me. Let me take your mind off of it.”

Brendon did just that. When he took his lips from Ryan’s, he was smiling again, eyes full of mischief. “I was wondering earlier about why the king of Arrenbourg is allowed to wear so many clothes, wasn’t I?”


	3. Part Three

Part Three

"Oh no. You are feverish." Ryan removed his hand from Brendon's forehead one rainy morning a little over two weeks later, before the bed's curtains had even been drawn back by Ryan’s chamber attendants. "It's this damned rain we have been having. It is not helping you. You were shivering next against me all night."

"I am perfectly fine. It is not anything to worry about." Brendon coughed, trying to clear his throat and hoping he didn’t sound as hoarse as he felt. He wanted to be with Ryan at his meetings this morning and start doing work as the king's husband. “Just a sore throat.” Ryan wasn’t falling for Brendon’s act. 

"Brendon, you have been coughing and complaining of headaches and a sore throat for the last four days. You need to sleep. You’ve been getting worse."

"Ryan, I have been sleeping with you in your chambers for two weeks and we are to be married in less than a month and then I will be the Grand Duke. I need to start attending state meetings with you." 

Ryan was of course, having Brendon's own suite of royal apartments worked on and furnished but for the time being, Brendon was sleeping in Ryan's rooms and in truth, they both wanted it to stay that way. Brendon having his own accommodations was primarily a formality, something that was traditionally done for the royal couple. They were going to married. They didn’t feel it was unreasonable for them to want to sleep in the same bed at night.

"And you will but please love, stay in bed for now so this does not become pneumonia. I assure you won't be missing anything this morning except petty squabbling and accounting matters. Things have been very peaceful. Please let me have one of my doctors treat you."

"Ryan, if anyone finds out I am ill they will not let me near you. You probably shouldn't be near me anyway. You are so skinny; it would not do for you to be sick."

"You are my husband and I am the king. They will not be able to stop you from being with me. I will order them to let you be with me and they will respect my orders. As for my weight: my physicians have been fussing over me for years because of it. I assure you I am one of the healthiest kings Arrenbourg has ever had. Do not worry about me. Please rest. Now what should I have someone bring you to eat this morning?"

"I am not really hungry." Brendon admitted and he didn't like admitting it, that he had no appetite at the current moment and didn't want to eat. It showed he was ill and if he was ill, he wouldn't be able to finally take his place by the king's side in matters of state just yet. He really wanted to. He had just gotten settled in his new lodgings with the king and his new place in court. Brendon may not have actually liked the idea of sitting through a state meeting with the pounding headache that had woke him up but he would try for Ryan. He would make himself push through it. He needed to. Arrenbourg was his country too. As the king's husband, he shared responsibility for it.

"You really are ill." Ryan shook his head, voice laced with concern. Brendon usually favored sweet things and a good deal of them and if Ryan couldn’t tempt him to eat even those then something was definitely wrong. "Please do not get out of bed today. I am going to have Jean-Augustin come to you after breakfast."

Jean-Augustin Archambault was an old, white haired man who had been around since the time of Ryan’s grandfather but Ryan probably trusted him more than any of the other doctors in the castle infirmary. He had gone to Spain to train to be a healer before he first started practicing medicine and had received some of the best medical schooling of the era and was constantly reading imported books from Spain on medical science. He had become well respected by the entire court for his knowledge.

_*_

“Take it away. Please.” Brendon complained that afternoon after swallowing a large amount of basil, garlic, black pepper, cowslip flowers, and astragalus root that had been boiled down and made into syrup, a disgusted grimace on his face. The concoction had been prescribed three times daily until Brendon’s symptoms were gone. Brendon had also been told to drink cinnamon, licorice root, or ginger tea frequently for his sore throat.

“Jean-Augustin did sweeten it with honey.” Ryan told him from behind the mask of linen he had tied over his nose and mouth as he took the cup from him that afternoon. Everyone who had approached Brendon to hand him something throughout the day when he hadn’t been napping had been wearing the same mask and then immediately went to wash their hands. He felt like a plague victim but understood it was necessary. They didn’t need an outbreak of illness at court. Ryan certainly didn’t need to contract whatever cold it was that he had. “I watched him make it. I’ll tell him to add more for your next dose tonight.”

“I do not know how much that will do for the flavor.” Brendon coughed, making another face.

“Sorry.” Ryan stroked his cheek and then got up and walked over to the basin on a table against the wall across from the bed to wash his hands. “We are lucky to have the astragalus root at all and the ginger you’ve been drinking in tea. We only just got another ginger shipment from the far east.” He said as he scrubbed them with a coarsely cut chunk of soap.

He finished a moment later. “I have some presentations I have to attend to so I suppose I will let you go back to sleep.” 

“I can finally be around you whenever I please and I still cannot be around you because I am ill.” Brendon sighed sadly as Ryan began closing the bed’s curtains.

“I’m sorry love. I will be with you tonight. Rest.”

_*_

Brendon's coughing fits hadn’t been getting worse over the past two days since he had started taking the medicine Archambault had given him but he wasn’t recovering as swiftly as Ryan's doctors would have preferred. 

“I wish you did not have to sleep on the couch.” Brendon gazed longingly at Ryan who was holed up under blankets on the plush day bed in the corner of the bedchamber, reading by candle light, paper strewn all over the bed in front of him. He felt isolated having Ryan over there while he was stuck behind the gilt railing that created a locked perimeter around the bed. Ryan had to keep his distance because Brendon was still very, very congested and wracked with headaches. It was medically advised.

“Believe me I would be with you in the bed if I could be.” Ryan hadn't slept in the same bed with Brendon in three days. He would have had to sleep in a mask to be able to be with Brendon in their bed but he still wanted to sleep in the same room in case Brendon needed him during the night. Ryan had been taking his morning and evening meals with Brendon as well.

“What are you reading?”

“Nothing interesting. Just some estates I am supposed to settle in the coming days.”

“Could you maybe come over here and read them next to me? I miss you.” Brendon asked in a small voice. It wasn’t Ryan’s fault but Brendon was feeling so neglected.

"Oh sweetheart..." Ryan felt his heart start to break. He would have to tie a mask over his mouth and nose and he wouldn't be able to stay in bed with Brendon the entire night. 

Even though both his and Brendon's separate bed clothes were boiled and changed out daily for sanitary purposes as ordered by Archambault who insisted on doing everything to do with healing the way it was done in Spain, Ryan didn't know if he could take the risk even with that being done. "It is cruel not being able to sleep next to you when we are finally sharing a bed, Ryan. I will be asleep soon love. I had another dose of valerian. I just miss you. I want to fall asleep with you next to me." 

Ryan found himself getting up before he could change his mind, gathering his papers to take with him. He went over to his dressing area and tied his linen mask around his nose and mouth. Brendon couldn't help but smile as Ryan made his way over to him with a candelabra. He'd been smiling since Ryan had gotten up.

"I am here now." Ryan set the candelabra down on the bedside table as Brendon made room for him. "You need to sleep." Ryan climbed into bed with him and spread his papers out again so he could get back to reading right away.

Brendon, showing how much happier he was on his face, bedded down close to him and reached for Ryan's hand. Ryan let him hold it while he worked.

After a while, having Ryan in bed after not having Ryan sleep with him for so long was starting to make Brendon feel restless. He tried to ignore it and sleep but eventually the feeling got the better of him. He hadn't had Ryan in nearly a week. Ryan eyes shot off of his papers and over to Brendon when he noticed Brendon had begun to kiss his hand. Brendon didn't break eye contact. 

Ryan felt a shiver of want even though he knew he should have been telling Brendon no and that needed to rest. He only opened his mouth when Brendon moved and pressed into his side and was kissing his neck.

"Brendon. You are ill. You need to res-"

"I have missed you so much. Please let me have you."

"You will love. When you are well again." Ryan refused gently but Brendon knew he was firm in his answer.

Brendon's face was even more heart wrenching than before.

Ryan sighed and put all of his legal papers on the table and pulled Brendon to where Brendon was laying against his chest. He threaded his hand into Brendon's black hair and began rubbing circles into his scalp. "Sleep love."

Brendon inhaled Ryan's scent, relaxed against him, and closed his eyes.

_*_

It was after noon the following day and Brendon coughed behind the ever present linen blocking his mouth and nose from the rest of the room. As he stood there through a fitting of what was currently being made for him to wear for he and Ryan's wedding, the dark purple, fur lined silk brocade jacket that had been put over his shoulders seemed to weigh him down. He was still so tired from his sickness.

"I wish you would not strain yourself." Ryan told him. He had come up to their chambers with another dose of medicine for Brendon that was waiting for him for when he was finished. Ryan had been watching him try on half done royal garments for the past fifteen minutes.

"Ryan, I have not been out of bed for the past three days. They will be done soon." Brendon dismissed him. He had felt kind of dismissive toward Ryan in general today because he was not the happiest. Ryan would be attempting to conceive a son in a just a few short days with Duchess Berg.

He had thought about it as he had woke up that morning and having Ryan no longer in the bed with him made him even more upset about it. He knew he wasn't being fair to Ryan by being upset but it was something he couldn't control.

_*_

"Not that again."

"Brendon. Take it. Please." Ryan held out the cup that had been sitting on the table while Brendon had his final measurements taken and he had changed back into his nightwear, after the team of clothing makers had left.

“It’s repulsive.”

“Love, I want you to be healthy when we go to the hunting palace with my men in a couple of weeks to shoot game for the wedding feast. Please drink it.”

Brendon didn’t move for a moment but he finally took the cup, pulled down his mask, and drank its contents. 

“Thank you.” Ryan took his hand and squeezed it. “I’ll see that someone takes this away.” He took the now empty cup from Brendon. “I must go speak to Spencer about some preparations that must be made in the coming days for the Duchess and I.”

Spencer and Countess Anna Hawthorne were to be the witnesses when the deed was done between Ryan and Duchess Berg.

Brendon’s facial expression he was sure, told Ryan how displeased he was.

“Oh love,” Ryan’s face softened. “I’m sorry.”

“You wouldn’t lie with me.” Brendon couldn’t even look at Ryan. He turned away and began to walk back toward the bed. Ryan sat the cup back on the table nearest to him and followed.

“Brendon.” Ryan grabbed his hand when he caught up with him.

Brendon let himself be pulled to Ryan, who pressed up against his back, his arms around Brendon’s middle. 

Ryan kissed Brendon’s neck for a long moment. “I am so sorry love. I feel so guilty over this. I am sorry I am hurting you. As soon as I have a son I will never bed her again. I promise you.”

When Ryan felt the tension leave Brendon he guided him over to the bed and got Brendon settled on to his back. Brendon was pleasantly surprised when Ryan lay down next to him. 

“I may not be able to lie with you properly until you are recovered but maybe,” Ryan latched on to Brendon’s neck again and let his fingers trail over Brendon’s stomach through the fabric of his long shift, making Brendon let out several pleased gasps, and then hooked his fingers under it when he reached where it ended at Brendon’s knees, “I can prove to you that you are the only one I love in other ways.”

_*_

“I want you to put the blood of a slaughtered chicken from the kitchen into a vial and bring it to me tomorrow so I will have in three days time.” Ryan said lowly to Spencer. They were the only ones in the meeting hall before the evening meal, the setting sun turning the sky outside the floor to ceiling windows a beautiful pink. Ryan felt he couldn’t be too careful. Nobody could overhear this conversation. “No one must know.”

“Of course.” Spencer looked puzzled at the king’s odd request, “But might I ask why?”

“You know the rest of the men of my council will want to see the sheets from my bedding of Duchess Berg. There must be proof on them that I have broken her maidenhead.”

Spencer didn’t follow for a few seconds but then what Ryan was getting at clicked for him. “You aren’t going to lie with her? But what about-“

“She will become pregnant but I will not be the one to make her that way.”

“Ryan, the child you have must be of your seed-“

“The child will be. I am going to lie with Brendon beforehand and bring it to her and we will then both leave Countess Hawthorne to make her pregnant.”


	4. Part Four

Note: Larking and going off is slang from the 1700s. Going off means coming and larking means oral.

 

Part Four

"Do you know what happens to beautiful men who dangle themselves in front of me and do not let me have them?" Brendon had a predatory smirk on his face that night as he pulled Ryan on to his lap on the bed. He was so handsome in the candlelight that illuminated their bedchamber in the last light of day and Ryan could see the freckles on Brendon's skin that were so light they almost couldn't be seen. Brendon had made an unbelievably swift recovery from his sickness over the last three days and had been his usual energetic self all day, even at the horribly dull meeting he had insisted on accompanying Ryan to that morning.

Brendon had been much brighter too, as Ryan had told him of his plan for getting around lying with Elizabeth before bed the night he had thought of it. It seemed that having the worry of Ryan bedding someone other than him lifted from his mind had been exactly what he needed to be able to get better.

Ryan had instructed everyone not to disrupt them or the Duchess tonight. Both he and Brendon were in their shifts even though Ryan would have to redress after their sex to be able to meet Spencer and make his way to Elizabeth and Anna.

"They get to go off underneath you?" Ryan asked hopefully.

"I knew there was a reason we all praise our king's sharp mind." Brendon teased him. "That was almost right. But tonight, a certain beautiful man gets to go off on top of me. Over my hips. So come here."

Brendon readjusted them so that he was laying back against the pillows and Ryan had his thighs on either side of Brendon's hips. It was a new position for Ryan and he was feeling a massive, almost overwhelming rush of excitement over trying it. Brendon had been taking him on his back ever since he had taken Ryan's virginity.

Brendon slid his hands under Ryan's gossamer shift and pulled the king closer against his body, capturing his mouth in passionate kisses, and letting his fingers trace the bones of Ryan's spine.

_*_

"Must you leave?" Brendon held Ryan against his chest after he had cleaned Ryan's seed off of both of their stomachs and transferred it into a waiting glass vial when they had finished making love, kissing the top of his head.

"I must my love. Let me go. Tonight is too crucial. I need to get this done. If I do not go now and have to reschedule Elizabeth's monthly bleeding may start before I can and then I will have to wait until next month."

Night had fallen outside the windows and as much as he would have preferred to lay with his fiance and watch the stars until he fell asleep, he had to get to Elizabeth's quarters.  
Brendon pouted. "I do not know if I have the strength to let you." He said playfully, holding Ryan even tighter.

"Brendon, I must. You know it as well as I do."

"Brendon."

"Kiss me once more and I suppose you may go."

_*_

"Please be gentle with her, your Majesty. She has never bedded a man." Countess Anna Hawthorne had much worry in her blue eyes. She raked a hand through her black hair nervously.

The preist who had blessed Ryan and Elizabeth and told them "to do good work" had just left them in their undergarments in bed together. There was nobody left in the room but the four of them: Ryan, Spencer, Elizabeth, and Anna.

"You have no reason to fret. I am not going to put a hand on her." Ryan stood up and got out of bed, leaving Elizabeth there in her linen gown. "Spencer would you mind?"   
Spencer took the glass vial of chicken blood out of his gold jacket and held it out to Anna while Ryan began to root through his own overcoat to retrieve the vial of his sperm.

"I do not understand, your Majesty." Anna said.

"You will in a moment." Ryan told her as he pulled his clothes back on. When he was finished he went over to her and handed her the corked glass vial filled with the thick white sexual fluid. "I trust that you know what this is. It is my seed. I trust that I can trust you to make Elizabeth with child before the hour is out. The blood is from a slaughtered chicken from the kitchens. You will smear it on the sheets after. If anyone asks you, it was I who took her maidenhead tonight. You and Spencer will sign the document saying it is so. Do you understand your task?"

"I do." She nodded. The relief she felt at not having her lover lie with someone else or having to watch Elizabeth go through the pain of taking a man for the first time practically radiated off of her. "Thank you, your Highness. You are a good man."

"Spencer and I will leave you alone to it then. We will leave your quarters in a couple of hours."

_*_

One fortnight later, the sun was bright and the air was sweet with the scent of the many wildflowers of the Arrenbourger countryside. The hunt for the wedding feast and the final preparations for the royal wedding had begun. 

It was time for the traditional pre wedding game of capture the bride or in this case, the king’s groom.

Brendon rode on horseback several yards in front of the king, pushing the animal to gallop with everything it had. Ryan had been chasing him on his own stallion for almost ten minutes and Brendon knew soon his animal would eventually tire out, especially now that they had ridden out of the flat meadow that the game had started in with a round of rowdy toasts from Spencer Smith and were in the forest.

Ryan was gaining on him and Brendon grinned over his shoulder teasingly, flirtation in his eyes. Ryan’s heart fluttered and he focused on driving his own horse forward. He followed Brendon’s when he jumped logs and underbrush that was well past the tree line by the meadow. The game would only end several minutes later when both horses stopped to drink at a shallow riverbed and it was clear by the look on Brendon’s face that he would have kept Ryan chasing him longer if it hadn’t been for the horses’ thirst.

“Well, well.” Ryan lowered himself off the horse and on to the forest floor and let his animal gulp down water as he strolled over to Brendon. “It appears,” He took Brendon’s hand as Brendon began to dismount for him and when Brendon was fully on the ground, pulled him into an embrace, the biggest expression of smug victory on his face, “It appears I have caught my future husband.”

“You have.” Brendon smiled. 

“Honestly love, this game is symbolic; you did not have to put up such a fight. I am not actually abducting you to drag you back to my cave.”

“You know I could not let his Majesty have an easy battle.” Brendon smirked. “But hopefully,” Brendon backed Ryan up into the bark of a nearby tree, a seductive glint in his dark brown eyes as he began running his hands over Ryan’s torso, “his Majesty will not extend the same treatment to me in return.”

Ryan let his hands rest against Brendon’s shoulders as Brendon leaned in to kiss him. “Larking in a forest? Brendon Urie, you ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

_*_

Brendon’s black horse was sent back into the meadow full of waiting men first with an empty saddle.

Ryan’s brown one followed with both Brendon and Ryan in its saddle. Both were glowing. Brendon sat in front of Ryan and Ryan’s arms were around him possessively as the king controlled the reins.

They were greeted with loud hollering and cheering upon exiting the trees.

_*_

“You captured me earlier,” Brendon adjusted the silken ropes around Ryan’s wrists later that afternoon after they had returned to Ryan’s chambers in his hunting palace and bathed, “and now I have captured you.”

Ryan was bound by his wrists to the heavy headboard and he had silk tied over his eyes, effectively blindfolding him. Brendon was playing yet another new game with him. He had never tied Ryan up helpless like this. The king found it almost unbearably delicious.

“Whatever will the king do?”

“Go off?” Ryan guessed with a smile.

Brendon made a tsk noise at him. “My, my do we have a filthy mouth." He scolded playfully. "But I suppose I will be merciful and forgive you for it because you look so beautiful right now.”

"But if you are merciful, I won't get to go off." Ryan pouted. He felt Brendon hovering over him a moment later.

"You are right love." Brendon leaned down and nuzzled Ryan's neck and reached down with one hand to play with the satin ribbon holding up one of the women's stockings that Ryan was wearing for him, making Ryan giggle, "Perhaps I won't be so merciful after all."


	5. Part Five

Part Five

“Are you ready to concede defeat, my love?”

Brendon was squatting over Ryan in one of massive the open air courtyards of Ryan’s summer hunting palace that the entire court had packed up and moved to for the royal wedding, the blade of his fencing saber beside Ryan’s head. This was the third time Brendon had disarmed Ryan and knocked him on his rear.

“Not at all. You have gotten in a few lucky shots. I have been easy on you.” 

“Aw Ryan. I promise I shan’t tell anyone that I have gotten the better of his Majesty several times in a sword fight. I shan’t tell anyone that the king, who probably was trained by the best swordsmen in the country, could not handle fighting a man who only came to court from the country a few years ago.”

“You know what Brendon Urie; I am going to have you fight with Pete Wentz.” Ryan pushed himself up off the ground. “Go on. Go have someone fetch him. We will see how big you talk after he’s finished with you.”

_*_

Pete Wentz was one of Ryan’s most decorated generals. Seven years Ryan’s senior, he had been to war a few times so he knew his way around a sword and a battlefield.

“You want me to spar with the Grand Duke?” Pete took Ryan’s sword from him. He turned to Brendon. “I am intrigued. You must be a challenge if the king himself wants me to fight with you.”

Brendon wasn’t actually a half bad swordsman for the little training he had had upon entering Ryan’s court after his family had acquired their new wealth. Ryan wouldn’t have been having him even attempt to cross swords with Pete if he didn’t think so.

“Oh now you have nothing to say?” Ryan simpered at his fiancé. “You certainly had plenty to say to me a few minutes ago.”

“Did you get knocked on your ass again Ryan?” Pete smirked knowingly. “I should have known there was a reason you called me here-“

“I will have you know-“

“You always did have trouble with certain combinations in a fight.”

“Just fight.” Ryan ordered. “Go on. It will amuse your king.”

“You liked being amused, don’t you your Grace?” Pete fired back, a teasing glint in his hazel eyes that was coming across to Brendon as an awful lot like flirting. He was good looking enough to be flirting with the king. He had bronzed skin, dark black hair, an infectious personality from what Brendon could tell from the short time he had spent talking to him, and was muscular from years of military service. It didn’t even matter that both Brendon and Ryan had at least a good foot on him in height.

“I do.” Ryan’s reply was just as loaded. The general’s grin became gigantic. “I like being amused by handsome men.”

“And Brendon, do you happen to be the same? Do you like being amused by handsome men such as myself?”

Pete Wentz was definitely flirting with them both. Brendon hoped he wasn’t blushing.

“I suppose since I have already missed capture the bride I can grant you this Ryan.” Pete took his starting position in front of Brendon. “Consider it an early wedding present. Walker and I would have been down here a few days ago when all the festivities started but we had to deal with some trouble makers in Lillia before being able to travel.”

“En garde. Prêt. Allez.” Ryan gestured impatiently. “And continue. Tell me of Lillia.”

Brendon lunged forward and Pete expertly jumped backward, avoiding his strike completely, continuing his conversation with the king nonchalantly, like he was simply standing there talking to him and not in the middle of sword match. “You do realize there are some on the coast who are not exactly pleased with your lack of a son and have started trying to band together. There was nonsensical talk of raising and army. Jon and I squashed the disloyal of course but his Majesty should know.”

“I am sure they would be pleased to know I will have a son if everything goes as planned and Duchess Berg is found to be with child in a couple of months.”

“Good. You’ve nothing to worry over then. I am sure it was probably nothing but an isolated incident from a few fools with delusions of grandeur. Honestly Brendon, you are making this too easy. Watch your footwork.”

Brendon may have had Pete backed into a corner but in one swift motion, Pete effortlessly made Brendon’s weapon go flying from his hand.

“Well, well. It appears I have disarmed you and that means this match is over and I am victorious.”

“Do not feel too badly Brendon. It was not exactly a fair fight with the way you have been blushing over my general here.” Ryan put a comforting arm around Brendon who had turned bright red from his comment. “Your mind was clearly somewhere else. But I am sure Pete would be willing to let you challenge him again while he tells me what he knows about the current situation between France and Austria.”

_*_

“Did you have this made for me?” 

Nearly one week later, the night before their wedding, Brendon stared at the heavy gold chain that was set with precious gems set and had a solid gold B hanging from the center of it in astonishment. Ryan had pulled him down on the sofa in their chambers and given him the gift before Brendon could take him to bed and give Ryan his gift of the proper wedding night of which the two were going to be deprived because they had to have their consummation witnessed.

Brendon had made an excuse of being too tired to gamble and party to lure Ryan away to their bedchamber and had left everyone to the pre wedding celebration that would likely last well into the night. Of course Ryan had fallen right into Brendon’s trap and followed him to bed early like a devoted husband would. Brendon’s excuse of being tired wasn’t hard for anyone to believe after Ryan, Spencer, and the rest of the men who had joined them for the big hunt for the feast the next day that morning at dawn had regaled the tale of how Brendon, Pete Wentz, and Anna Hawthorne had been the only ones that refused to let a certain group of deer go, nearly falling from their horses in the chase that successfully killed the game.

“I did. Everyone at court seems to be wearing their initials so I had it made for you. I thought you might like it.” Ryan smiled. “Happy wedding.” He said warmly, kissing Brendon on the cheek.

“It is beautiful Ryan. Perfect. Thank you. I am sorry my gift to you isn’t nearly as grand. I just plan to give you the wedding night you deserve tonight.”

Ryan’s heart fluttered at Brendon’s words and nearly began to beat out of his chest. The urge to have Brendon on top of him, kissing him, bearing down on him, breathing in his ear, was overwhelming.

“I want to spoil you, Ryan my sweet love. You may have me in any way you desire.” Brendon told him, kissing Ryan’s jaw and neck as he was untying and unbuttoning Ryan’s garments and removing them from Ryan’s body.

“I want you to take me. On my back.” Ryan was already breathy and needy. Brendon was still lighting his flesh aflame as he planted kisses on every new patch of skin he exposed as more of Ryan’s clothes came off. “Like the first time you bedded me.”

“Of course I will love.” Brendon leaned in and kissed him for a long moment, his tongue on the inside of Ryan’s mouth, and Ryan’s breathing was shaky by the time he stopped. It was shakier still and Ryan moaned softly as Brendon’s skillful caressing hands removed Ryan’s shift. “Come to bed. I shall kiss every inch of you my husband.”

 

Note: Royal wedding and awkward ass wedding night next chapter!


	6. Part Six

Part Six

 

It would have been a complete fairy tale, the wedding, if the day weren’t packed with so much stress about the evening to come for Brendon and the king. That is not to say the two didn’t enjoy taking their vows, they definitely had, and that current moment in front of the bishop in all of their finery, among at least a hundred glittering candles, in the sanctuary of the hunting palace’s chapel, was probably the only time during the entire day that they both were forgetting about their future public wedding night.

The bishop doused the coronation ring Ryan has given Brendon in holy water in the formation of a cross and handed it to Ryan.

Ryan took Brendon’s left hand, looking at him in his royal purple and gold clothing and fur with pure love, and slid the ring on to Brendon’s left ring finger. Brendon was staring back at him with the exact same expression and it was clear to both that the other was close to tears of joy that they were desperately trying to hold back.

Ryan took a deep inhale to steady himself and his voice and started reciting his vows in Latin. “Hoc annulo te nubere; argentum et aurum, hoc tibi do: corpore meo te honoro; et omnibus bonis meis temporalibus te.” With this ring I thee wed; this gold and silver I thee give; with my body I thee worship; and with all my worldly goods I thee endow. “Ego, Ryan Ross III, Regis Arrenbourg, quid tibi Brendon Urie pro coniuge, habendum et tenendum a die hac, melius, quia, sive ditiorem, pauperiorem, sanum et infirmum, donec mors nos pars.” I, Ryan Ross III, King of Arrenbourg, take thee, Brendon Urie, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

Brendon took even longer than Ryan did to be able to get his vows out. He was so, so in love and Ryan was absolutely beautiful today wearing a wedding suit of ivory silk, an even heavier fur cloak than Brendon’s, and the solid gold imperial crest of Arrenbourg on a thick gold chain over his shoulders, colored light from the stained glass everywhere framing him. He managed, with a voice that shook from emotion once or twice. “Ego Brendon Urie quid tibi Ryan Ross III, Regis Arrenbourg pro coniuge, habendum et tenendum a die hac, melius, quia, sive ditiorem, pauperiorem, sanum et infirmum, donec mors nos partem.”

“Ego conjugo vos in matrimonium, in nomine Patris, + et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.” The bishop declared, splashing them both with holy water. I join you together in marriage, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

Ryan would have loved it if Brendon had been able to kiss him but a royal wedding was such a stiff and formal affair that such a thing simply could not be done. Ryan and Brendon settled for not letting go of each other’s hands throughout the rest of the bishop’s blessing of their union and the entire lengthy catholic mass to follow.

 

_*_

“Come to bed with me now or I’ll die.” Ryan murmured into Brendon’s ear the second mass let out.

When the two found a moment during which they could escape away to their bedchamber, well, that’s exactly what they did. 

Ryan pushed Brendon’s fur lined, purple floor length jacket off of his shoulders and started unbuttoning the gold vest that went with it, kissing him fiercely.

“Do we have time?” Brendon gasped as they crushed their mouths and bodies together even though he was pulling and practically ripping Ryan’s clothes off just as urgently as Ryan was doing for him. “We’re supposed to be presented to the public-“

“I do not care.” Ryan softly bit Brendon’s lip between his teeth and tugged, his fingers underneath Brendon’s shirt clawing at every inch of skin. “Just take me now! I want to consummate our marriage properly.”

Brendon, in his and Ryan’s almost animalistic need, got the rest of Ryan’s clothes off in record time, nibbling and kissing him everywhere as he went. They knocked some of their things off tables whilst kissing on their way over to the bed, Ryan pulling Brendon’s shirt over his head in the process.

In a feverish passion, Brendon pushed Ryan on to his back on top of the bed sheets and couldn’t get out of his pants fast enough, discarding them to the ground and climbing on top of Ryan, grabbing blindly around on the night table for the jar of skin cream they had been using for this purpose while his tongue was in Ryan’s mouth, Ryan moaning around it.

Brendon did not open his eyes or pull away from kissing his husband as he coated his fingers in a thick layer of the cream.

 

_*_

 

Ryan’s loud whimper died in his throat. Brendon stopped moving and panting and telling him sweet nothings on top of him.  
Both were horrified.

Spencer Smith was standing right in the middle of the room looking equally horrified that he had walked in on them during such an intimate moment.

“Why the fuck are you here?!” Ryan was frozen, hoping that Brendon wouldn’t move and show even more of them both and make a bad situation worse.

Thankfully for him, Brendon had the good sense not to.

“My deepest apologies, your Majesty. I am so sorry. Half of your council is in chaos and sent me looking for you both, the schedule-“ Spencer answered quickly and dumbly, afraid of what his friend might do. Not that Spencer would fault Ryan for whatever it was he might have ended up doing. He would be mad as hell and the same way if Ryan had stumbled in on him having sex.

“Get out! Just get the fuck out!”

Ryan’s closest friend and right hand adviser fled the room.

“Do you think you can finish me?” Ryan asked Brendon when the shock of what had happened settled somewhat. He wouldn’t blame Brendon if his mood was entirely soured. The night ahead for them both would be just like the event that just took place, except ten times worse. “Or did he ruin-“

Brendon kissed him, hard and intense, cutting off Ryan's speech. “Always.”

_*_

"Ryan. Look at me." Brendon, who was on top of Ryan again well after midnight, cupped Ryan's face soothingly in the dim light from the candles lit everywhere that was barely getting through the canopy’s curtains.

They had just been blessed and been given the speech about “doing good work” and the wedding feast that they had just came from raged on in the rest of the palace while they were there in their bed with at least five or six witnesses to what they were doing outside the pathetic barrier the bed's curtains that were closed around them provided. The curtains did not give nearly enough privacy. Nobody may have been able to see them but they could hear them and that in itself was mortifying.

“This is awful.” Ryan mumbled, not meeting Brendon’s eyes.

Brendon wasn’t exactly enjoying himself either. Kissing Ryan would never feel like going through the motions but at that time, it wasn’t the passion that they normally had for understandable reasons. “I know love but it was to be expected.” 

Brendon leaned in and kissed his neck and nibbled behind his ear. Ryan had an involuntary reaction to his lips and tried to keep his gasping inaudible. “Try to focus on me and ignore them Ryan.”

“I cannot-“

“Sh.” Brendon shushed him and kissed him again, soft and sweet, trying to lull Ryan into forgetting that there was anyone else in their bedchamber. 

Ryan closed his eyes tightly and tried to convince himself that Brendon was the only one there. He tried to tell himself that there was nobody else listening to his ragged breathing as Brendon lavished attention on him with his mouth, sucking and kissing his neck, collarbones, and chest.

Ryan’s collarbones proved to be sensitive for him tonight as Brendon ran his teeth against them and pressed his lips into them and the second Ryan attempted to choke back moans but failed he was begging Brendon to stop so nobody would hear under his breath.

“They do not matter.” Brendon was back to kissing the spot behind Ryan’s ear that he liked to have kissed. 

“Brendon. Please.”

“I am sorry Ryan. I wish we did not have to either,” Brendon was speaking gently to his lover, in hushed tones, “but our marriage,” he sounded pained, he felt so bad for Ryan who was clearly and truly so uncomfortable with the whole thing, “our marriage depends on it.”

“I know Brendon. I am sorry.”

“Sh. You do not need to apologize, Ryan. It is okay.” 

Brendon leaned into Ryan’s ear and Ryan found having Brendon’s body so close quite pleasurable despite the circumstances. He whispered “I do not have to be inside of you. They only need stains on the sheets to prove consummation.”

“Please don’t.” Ryan couldn’t even imagine it after having his oldest and most trusted friend see them together earlier that day and that had been an accident.

“Sh, love.” Brendon caressed Ryan’s jaw. “I am not going to.”

“Maybe just kiss me. Make me forget… and rut against me…” Ryan suggested, still less than thrilled about it but granting permission. If they made as little noise as possible, maybe it would not be as terrible. “And for fucking’s sake please be quiet about it.”

“I will be as silent as stone.” Brendon kissed the corner of his mouth reassuringly. 

Ryan wrapped his arms around Brendon’s back and made himself relax.

_*_

“Is she with child?” Ryan paced two nights later, exhausted after the day long journey back to castle from the hunting palace, while waiting for Jean-Augustin’s answer about the duchess. Brendon sat wringing his hands too. They had come with Elizabeth and Anna to see him the very moment they had arrived home. The day after the wedding, all the two could think about was knowing whether or not Anna had been successful at making Elizabeth pregnant.

“She has told me she has not had her bleeding in nearly two months and she has been getting bouts of stomach sickness for almost as long. I would say it will be good for her to start her lying in no more than three months from now.”

“Excellent. Well done Elizabeth.” Ryan did not even hesitate to embrace his friend. This was such a weight lifted off both of him and Brendon. It was powerful. It could quash any of the unrest Pete had been speaking of coming from the coastal city of Lillia in an instant.

When Ryan let go of the duchess, Brendon was pulling him into a tight hug, the anxiety from the previous few minutes gone entirely from his features.

“I congratulate you both, your Majesty.” Anna said demurely.

Ryan hugged her too. “You did the work, not me.” He said lowly into her ear.

“I will compensate you both grandly.” Ryan announced as he released the countess.


	7. Part Seven

Part Seven

 

Ryan pulled away from Brendon’s kisses one morning a week and a half into their newly wedded bliss and drew the bed’s curtains back a couple of inches to judge the time by the light in the room. It was gray with the fresh dawn as he let the curtains fall back into their place around them. “I think we have a couple of hours alone before the state meeting this morning, thank heavens.”

The meeting that would take place around two hours later for the royal couple would be a hectic one and from what they had been hearing from Pete Wentz, who would be joining them for this meeting along with several others before leaving court again, about France and Austria, they both knew well that they would be lucky if it did not turn into an all-out war council.

“Good. Come to me.” Brendon found his way into his usual spot on top of Ryan and pressed into his body, caressing him.

“Would you mind it very much if we did something different this morning?” Ryan asked between his husband’s kisses.

“What did you want to do?” Brendon gave Ryan the lightest kiss on the corner of his mouth, awaiting Ryan’s answer eagerly. Of the two lovers, Brendon was usually the one thinking up new bed games.

Ryan was so very happy to see Brendon's excitement and openness.“You have had experience with being taken by other men, yes?”

Oh. So Ryan wanted to be the giver instead of the receiver this morning. 

Brendon smiled enticingly, sitting up. He wasn’t about to complain about Ryan wanting to take him. Ryan was probably the most well-endowed man Brendon had ever made love with. “I have.” 

He removed his shift and let it slide over the side of the bed and lay back, spreading his thighs as Ryan took off his own linens and moved on top of him.

Ryan laughed into Brendon’s ear and Brendon burned with desire. He nipped Brendon’s ear playfully and Brendon’s breathing hitched. “Brendon," Ryan murmured, pleased with himself, "My good boy.”

 

_*_

“Louis XV is asking for Arrenbourg’s support in the fight with Austria-Hungary. What is his Majesty’s answer?”

Henry dropped the exact thing Ryan would have preferred to avoid talking about for a little while longer on Ryan and Brendon the moment the state meeting was called to order.

“Pete,” Ryan looked to the general, “enlighten me again of the current situation for our French allies.”

Pete quickly gave Ryan a detailed recap of how Frederick II, who was also allied with the French, was trying to take Silesia away from Empress Maria Teresa of Austria-Hungary. Pouring over the large maps on the table, he gave him the tactical information he knew about both sides as well and told Ryan that in his personal opinion, he did not see Frederick gaining any of Silesia, and if he did, it would not be a permanent arrangement.

“I am indecisive as to whether I should get Arrenbourg involved in this war or not.” Ryan sighed, weary. “I understand the gain in wealth for us if France were to overrun Austria-Hungary but with my current situation involving my lack of an heir, I do not know if it would be the best thing.”

“Maybe take some of the royal budget for this month and gift it to the French king for his war effort to show that we are on his side but Arrenbourg cannot commit to fighting a war at the current time.” Spencer suggested.

“If we send money to support France, wouldn’t that be the same as getting involved?” Brendon asked pointedly.

Spencer considered Brendon's question. “I suppose that is true.”

“Well, I have told you of what was happening in Lillia, the unrest that has been developing what with your lack of a son to keep this country safe in the future. I would advise his Grace not to get involved with a war that concerns France more than Arrenbourg at this time.” Pete told Ryan. 

“I agree.” Jon Walker, another of Ryan’s better generals, said. “His Highness should be focusing on home and his countrymen. When he has a son, then he would be freer to give his full support to the French.”

“Jon speaks sense. When you have a male heir, certain men of this country will be more willing to join an army in his Majesty’s name and to pay the taxes his Majesty would need to raise to pay for it.” Pete seconded.

“So be it then.” Ryan decided; more than ready to move on to any other problem that could be offered up from the never ending list of issues the king was expected to solve. He would have liked it better if there had been no war for him to worry about at all but it wasn't an ideal world and he aware that it was unrealistic for him to think that so he forced himself to make a decision and stick with it. 

“Someone take a letter to France and tell Louis that I will have to keep Arrenbourg out of French conflicts for the time being but of course if the situation becomes dire that Arrenbourg will help her French brothers and sisters. And Spencer, I may take your advice and sweeten it by sending him a few florins.”

 

_*_

Brendon was singing quietly and absently to himself as he sat down in his place next to Ryan at dinner that night, finally beginning to feel at least a little at ease with what had been talked about at the state meeting with the king's council that morning.

Pete, who was sitting across from the king, nearly spat out his wine at what Brendon was singing in Spanish. He swallowed and composed himself at the very last second. “Did his Highness, by any chance, explain to you the translation for what you are singing?”

Brendon picked up languages better he noticed, by singing songs that were written by people who were native speakers because he enjoyed singing whether he thought he had a good voice or not. (Ryan often assured him he had one of the best voices Ryan had ever heard over the past three years but Brendon sometimes struggled to believe it.) He had been given a small amount of instruction in bettering his Italian so he would be up to par with every other Arrenbourger of the noble class-as French and Italian were the two main languages of the county-along with having been given basic instruction in studying English when one of his sisters had married into court but as he had come from the country, he was only just catching up in his education. It was nowhere near Ryan’s level of education or knowledge of foreign language.

Brendon only had a vague idea of what the song that had been in his head since he had left the library where Ryan had been helping him with his English-an escape from all the political problems that were unfolding all around him that Ryan was happy to have for a few hours-that afternoon had been about. Judging from Pete’s reaction to the Spanish though, Brendon had a bad feeling he really had no idea what he had been singing.

“Translation for what?” Ryan’s attention was caught now as he served himself from the silver platters in front of them.

“What your husband has been singing.”

“What were you singing? Sing it for me again. You have such a beautiful voice love.”

Brendon was somewhat afraid to sing what he had been singing now so he only repeated it in his normal speaking voice.

Spencer almost choked on the meat he had been chewing.

“Good gracious!” Elizabeth’s head snapped in Brendon’s direction. 

Countess Hawthorne’s blue eyes widened to three times their size upon hearing him.

“Apparently, you and General Wentz have been having a more interesting conversation with the Grand Duke than I have been having with General Walker.” Spencer turned in Ryan’s direction.

“Oh yes, I was about to ask Brendon when exactly it was he went to see and have relations with a prostitute.” Pete smirked.

“What?!” Brendon demanded, horrified. “I have never gone to anyone’s bed but my-“

“Love, that’s what you were saying.” Ryan informed him gently.

“Ryan, great king, which language does your dear husband understand better? French or Italian?” Pete’s smirk had grown even bigger.

“French.” Brendon answered uncomfortably.

“I will translate.” Pete declared and started rattling off a French translation of a sexually explicit tale about a man who cheated on his wife with a prostitute, describing in graphic detail what the woman had done with him. There may or may not have been a line in there about how the lady could give a man so much pleasure with her mouth that he wouldn’t soon forget it.

Brendon turned redder and redder. He may have always been a huge flirt at court but he was never the type to be so uncouth as to go around giving people the details of his marital bed.

“I guess that explains why you all were acting like I was chopping a limb off in front of you.” Brendon started laughing. “I guess I am not as well versed in Spanish as I like to think.”

“But are you as well versed in certain bed techniques as the woman you were singing about?” Spencer goaded, “I do recall that song mentioning a male prostitute the first time I heard it.”

“There are two versions. Depending on your tastes.” Pete confirmed, sharing his grin. “And, now I am intrigued Brendon. Tell us. Are you able to give a man so much pleasure with your mouth that he won’t ever forget it? It would explain why our grand King Ryan is always swooning around you like a besotted schoolgirl.”

“There are other reasons for that.” Spencer snorted.

Ryan elbowed his friend hard in the ribs under the table, blush darkening his face to match his husband’s.

“Oh really?” Pete was having a grand time at both of Ryan and Brendon’s expenses. “I have walked past the King’s chambers at night. I would have thought from all the noise the Grand Duke makes that the King was the one giving.”

Ryan shot Spencer an “I dare you” glare.

Anna came to Ryan’s rescue before Spencer could say anything further. “Gentlemen, your Highness; is this really appropriate dinner conversation?”

Ryan shot the countess a thank you with his eyes.

“Yes. Yes. Manners and etiquette and so forth.” Spencer gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “I suppose we can all go back to discussing duller topics that we have mulled over a hundred times this morning such as the French war effort and how to keep Lillia’s rebels at bay. General Walker? Any thoughts?”


	8. Part Eight

Note: Artemisia's name comes from the Italian Baroque female artist Artemisia Gentileschi. In case anyone was wondering.

 

Part Eight

 

"Do you truly think civil war will break out, Ryan?" Brendon asked as his husband slipped under the covers with him, every candle in the room extinguished except for the ones on the table beside Ryan's side of their bed.

Pete Wentz and Jon Walker were heading back to the coast and Lillia early the next morning and it had seemed the possibility of civil war and how to prevent it was the only thing anyone could ponder at the daily royal state meetings during the past fortnight.

Ryan lay close to Brendon and facing toward him. "I cannot say for certain but I do not think it will come to that. Pete is an excellent general, Brendon. You know that as well as I. He knows how to handle peace disturbers."

"I know." Brendon cupped Ryan's cheek lovingly. "And I will come to war with you if it does come to that." He declared.

"No love, I need you here if it does come to that." Ryan told him gently. "I need you to be around as king regent until our son is old enough to reign should I be killed in battle."

"Ryan. You are my husband. My place is by your side. Allow me to protect you. Please."

"Brendon. You speak as if civil war has already come to Arrenbourg. It has not. But I will tell you again, I need you here as king regent if it does. It simply must be that way."

"No. What simply must be is that if there is war to be had, I need to be there guarding my king." Brendon countered.

"You are so stubborn." Ryan smiled and shook his head. "You should know that Pete would never allow any harm to come to me. He's guardian enough. And my love, just put this talk of civil war out of your mind. It is nothing we need to worry over unless he reports of something that changes that. I have more important things to worry over right now than some ill organized rebels that Pete Wentz will eventually crush."

Brendon leaned in and kissed Ryan on the nose, letting them both drop the matter for one that was much lighter. "Speaking of: His Majesty's birthday is coming up in the near future."

"And, more importantly, we will have a son in a matter of months." Ryan said, but he couldn't hide that he was smiling at Brendon raising the subject of his birthday. "My birthday isn't coming for another month. We are only a week into July and my birthday is at the end of August but you're very sweet to remember. Even if your sweetness is most certainly only stemming from the fact that you most likely want to bankrupt the treasury celebrating with some extravagant party." He teased.

"I just want to celebrate our grand king properly. I love him." Brendon pouted in faux offense. "I have to spend as much money as needed to do so. We will drink and eat and then make love all night!"

"We already make love all night most nights." Ryan smirked.

"Does it not please you?" Brendon returned Ryan's expression back to him.

"Of course it pleases me. Make love to me again."

"Make love to you again?" Brendon smiled a stupidly happy and love filled smile as he climbed on top of Ryan, which caused Ryan's face to turn absolutely gleeful. 

"Make love to you again?" Brendon repeated, tugging at the linen covering Ryan's body, and giving him little love bites through the thin fabric. "Is that an order, your Majesty?"

"It is."

"Well. I wouldn't dare disobey an order from the king, now would I, Ryan?"

 

_*_

 

"I am trusting you and Walker to keep order in Lillia and the surrounding territory, Pete." Ryan said as he walked with Pete toward the main gates of the palace where Jon and the rest of their unit who had accompanied the two to the capital city would be waiting and ready to move out that early, misty morning that was already humid even though the sun had only been up for an hour.

"Honestly Ryan, you should know you've put your trust in the right man."

"I will not lose this country to a bunch of no account men who think for some reason beyond me that they could do a better job than me just because I currently lack a son."

"And you shan't lose Arrenbourg."

"See to it then. Travel Swiftly."

"You can count on that, your Majesty. There is someone back home I want to know and if I stay here I will not be able to know him, will I?" Pete smirked that charming smirk that he had seemed to have perfected over time that could drive any woman at court that he chose to bed him. Not that Pete did bed every person he saw. He had courted relatively few people over the course of his adult life, a fact that seemed to make him that much more appealing to the many that found themselves attracted to him.

"I really do have nothing to worry over then. I know how you are. You would be in Lillia before sundown if it were possible."

"I would."

"Pete Wentz is off to make some lucky man fall in love with him." Ryan goaded, rolling his eyes.

"People always fall in love with me for some reason." Pete sighed. "They always do. But I really hope this man does."

 

_*_

"Ryan."

"What?"

"Your artist-"

Ryan kissed Brendon again, silencing him. He had a grin on his face when he stopped. "What about her?"

It was the very beginning of August, its first days, and Ryan had announced to Brendon a week before this afternoon that he wanted Brendon painted because Brendon was that beautiful. Aside from that, Brendon also needed a proper royal portrait done. He had one from when his family first came into wealth after his sister married into court but Ryan had an artist of much higher caliber in mind and he wanted her to paint Brendon.

Brendon barely stopped Ryan's attempt at heated kisses for a second time and scooted the smallest distance away on the mattress. "She will be here quite soon. You asked her to come at noon. We need to get up and dress."

"Noon is not for almost an hour and a half. And we rarely get mornings like this one where there is no meeting to attend to and no one to bother us." Ryan grabbed and kissed Brendon again and Brendon let out a little sigh, clearly weakening. 

"Ryan. We have to look presentable. It will not do for us to look like we've just rolled out of the marital bed."

"I think we have plenty of time." Ryan countered. "You look so pretty after we've made love anyway. I think it would make your portrait even better." He teased, mussing Brendon's hair.

"You desire me that much, hm?" Brendon suddenly pushed Ryan on to his back and held him there with his body weight. To say Ryan was happy wasn't even the half of it.  
Brendon leaned in close, almost nose to with Ryan, his eyes dark. "You want me."

"I do." The king told him.

"Show me then." Brendon rolled lazily on his back. "Come now love. Show me. Show me how much you need me."

_*_

"You are quite spoiled, aren't you?" Anna Hawthorne teased Brendon as she walked into the area of Ryan's rooms where Brendon was being painted by Ryan's artist, Artemisia Moreau. She looked to Ryan who was sitting across the room with a book, observing. "You spoil him, your Majesty. A portrait. And you summoned me."

"I did." Ryan nodded. "And Brendon spoils me and from what I have heard, you spoil the Duchess. Where is the Duchess? I summoned her too."

"She'll be along. I've heard Elizabeth is coming to you all the way from the south gardens."

"I wanted you both to meet Artemisia. She has just come home from further education in Paris and I am very lucky to have her to do all of your portraits. Elizabeth is the mother of my child and she needs a portrait done by a decent artist for that reason. Brendon is of royal blood now and needs a decent portrait done because he is royal. As for you, you can just consider this a gift."

"I am still surprised that the King hired me to replace Durand all those years ago. Durand has been doing the royal portraits for generations." Artemisia said quietly, in deep concentration, her green eyes not lifting from her canvas except to take another glance at Brendon. She brushed stray brown hair behind her ear and returned her brush to her canvas.

"Durand is nearly as old Jean-Augustin. His eyes were growing tired and he needed to retire. He has retired to very nice living arrangements here at court. And you were an excellent apprentice of his. The best one might say." Ryan dismissed her modesty.

"Of course I am grateful for the opportunity, your Grace. I cannot thank you enough for sending me off to Paris."

"It was money well spent, Mademoiselle Moreau, and it is not as if I am not getting a return on my investment in you, what with all the portraits you are going to be painting."

 

_*_

"Certainly took you long enough to get what you needed from the library. Am I that dull of a language teacher?" Ryan teased as Brendon strode in to their bed chamber with the books he needed to continue his studying of Italian and a couple of English ones.

"I do not know what all of that is but you seem perfectly occupied." Brendon teased right back as he gestured to the sketches on the silken bed covers as he sat down by his husband with the books.

"Oh these? These are just the patterns that the Duchess and the Countess selected for new court dresses. I am paying for them. Something new for them both to be painted in. Someone finally brought me what they both decided on."

“Anna looks good in red. It makes her blue eyes look bluer. She made a grand choice for color.” Brendon commented as Ryan took a moment to clear what he had in front of him and then rearrange next to Brendon, taking the English books from him. 

"I think we should start with English and then we will have more time to focus on improving your Italian before we eat tonight." Ryan suggested.

"I already know much more Italian than I do English though, Ryan. Shouldn't we study the languages the other way around?"

"Brendon. I want you to improve more on your Italian because I plan to travel to Menné with you for a week at the end of the month.”

“That’s in the Jesmonte territory. Italian is practically all they speak there.”

“Exactly.” Ryan nodded.

“So why are we traveling to Menné? Has there been more unrest?”

“No, love. I want to spend a week on the coast alone with you for my birthday. By the sea.”

“Menné is still somewhat near Lillia though, isn't it Ryan? Isn't that dangerous?"

"Lillia is a very isolated incident as of now. And Menné is miles in the opposite direction. A few guards and a few people will be coming with us to keep my estate running while we are there but otherwise it will be just you and me."

"I suppose we can eat, drink, and make love all night at your estate in Menné like I planned for us to do here for your birthday." Brendon smiled warmly, now that Ryan has reassured him that Menné would be an okay place for them to stay.

Ryan grinned back and gave Brendon a small peck on the lips. "Now, you were having trouble with some verbs the last time I was helping you with your English so do you want to start with those?"


	9. Not the new chapter. Just a question.

You guys.

I am thinking about an unexpected mpreg element for either Brendon or Ryan in this story. What do you think? I'm wondering if anyone thinks that would be good before I commit to it? Leave me a comment about it I guess. Thank you.


	10. Part Nine

Part Nine

 

"Shall I show you the other reason I wanted Artemisia to paint you now that we are well underway?" Ryan asked.

He was sitting across from Brendon in their plush, blue velvet lined coach. It was exactly two days before Ryan's birthday and they had left for Menné early that morning. They were traveling in the greenish-gray midday light of the forest and it would be at least a couple hours after dark before they reached the coastal estate that was Ryan's favorite to stay at during the Summer months when he could get away from the palace. They were in a caravan of coaches. Ryan invited a few very close friends along and it went without saying, the staff to run the grand house.

Ryan revealed a round, gold case from the inside of his royal blue jacket. When he opened it and held it out to Brendon, Brendon saw a small portrait of himself.

"Probably silly of me to have it done but I like having it for those rare but boring affairs of state that you aren't at my side to deal with. I like looking at you."

"No. I do not think you're only looking. I think you're probably also thinking about all the things we do in our bedcham-" Brendon started, a charming, teasing smile on his lips but Ryan interrupted.

"Maybe I am. Who could blame me?"

"Naughty boy." Brendon chided a faux scolding. "I have the perfect cure for that. I'll be sure to give it to you when we are settled tonight."

"I am sure you will."

"For that quick tongue of yours, you'll get double."

 

_*_

 

"I cannot believe it but I think I am going to have to retire early tonight. I think sleep will be quite refreshing after today's travels." Brendon said, in the middle of stripping his outer clothing off. He and Ryan were in the royal bedchamber. They had gone there nearly right after they had finished eating a quick meal upon arrival once candles had been lit across the house. Brendon clearly was tired from the lengthy day on the road. They were lucky that their things had already been brought in along with a mattress from the palace back in the outskirts of the capital city of Arren. Ryan always insisted on bringing a mattress from the palace when he came here because he was not going to take a chance with being bitten up by bedbugs.

Ryan's seaside estate had the main house with ten bedrooms on the upper floor and one additional building with another seven meant mainly for servants and lower status guests. It had beautiful neoclassical elements in the architecture but was also somewhat quaint. The bedroom had a wall of rough white wood planks that surrounded a large, elegant window with rough windowpanes that you could see the ocean through. The lightness of the planks contrasted in excess with the gleaming dark wood wainscotting of the room's other walls. It had a beautiful wrought iron chandelier and matching sconces on the wall against which the ivory linen curtained bed was pressed. Only the sconces and two candelabras that were on the rich brown night tables on either side of the bed were lit because everyone would soon be asleep.

"Here I thought you were going to cure me of my earlier behavior. Or did you forget that promise?" Ryan said, more than a hint of flirtation in his voice as he followed suit in changing into clean linen in which to sleep.

"I did not forget. I will my love. There will be plenty of time for that in the morning. I will give you what you deserve and you'll be as sweet and docile as anything-"

"Oh, will I, Brendon?"

"You will. I do not even know why you are acting as though you won't. I give you a good larking and you allow me just about anything," Brendon walked up behind Ryan and wrapped his arms around his middle possessively, "You are a treasure," He nipped behind Ryan's ear, "and you're all mine."

Brendon lingered there, pressing a kiss now into the skin under Ryan's ear. 

"Now. Early to bed with you." He released him. "You need your rest for in the morning."

Ryan turned. "You act as though you don't enjoy kneeling at my feet-"

"Of course I do, Ryan. I love kneeling at my king's feet. But I enjoy him when he is sweet and docile a little better. So," Brendon patted him lightly on the rear, "early to bed with you."

 

_*_

 

"Play something, Ryan. You never do. You're a brilliant musician."

Brendon and Ryan were relaxing on a wide, russet colored blanket on their first afternoon in Menné. Brendon was laying on his back and Ryan was reading aloud from some book from some foreign philosopher, a guitar sitting next to them both.

"Well, you do not exactly play anything for me, either, love. And I rarely have the pleasure of hearing you sing." Ryan countered.

"I haven't the time for the guitar as of now. I am too busy refining my skills for the piano. I was only able to learn when I came to court. I've always known the guitar. I learned that as a child in the countryside."

"Which I could help you with. I was taught by one of the best pianists in the country when I was young."

It was true. It was in a way expected that Ryan would be well educated in both standard subjects and the arts along with language studies being the king even though everyone in his entire group of close friends had some education and leaning toward the arts because Ryan loved the arts. Pete was as good a poet as Ryan, maybe better in Ryan's opinion, and he was skilled in music. Duchess Berg was inclined to music and the arts and could match Ryan's intelligence in foreign languages. She also was more knowledgeable than Ryan in Greek.

Ryan's shortcomings came in hunting, which he didn't care for anyway- and Brendon wasn't exactly too fond of it either- and cooking and other things such as those. Ryan loved the arts and reading but he loved music and writing the most. Ryan knew he would probably starve if he did not have the kitchen workers at the palace. 

Well, maybe not. He did have Brendon now. Brendon grew up common. He would certainly know how to cook at least something.

"Will you play me something, Ryan?" Brendon asked again.

"Yes, love. I will." 

Ryan was silent for a moment after replying, thinking up what chords with which he wanted to start. Then he picked up the guitar and Brendon's eyes never left him.

"I might have to make love to you right here, Ryan." Brendon said breathily, awestruck when Ryan put the guitar down after five minutes of uninterrupted music. 

"You've made love to me practically all morning. And honestly Brendon, in the middle of a field by the sea?"

"What better place?"

"Brendon!" Ryan was laughing but allowed Brendon to kiss him and go even further than that, in the sun and breeze, feeling the grass against his back underneath the fabric of the blanket.

 

_*_

 

"Do you want to go swimming?"

"Don't you think you've worn me out enough?"

"Well, we cannot very well go back to the manor all covered in sweat and with lover's eyes. It's very telling. Now, I don't mind everyone knowing how much I love the King and how much he cries out in my bed-"

"Brendon," Ryan pushed his shoulder.

"However, I know His Majesty likes to make a good impression on his court." Brendon finished.

 

_*_

 

Brendon bent down and picked up a perfect pale pink and white scallop seashell from the loamy sand of the seashore when he and Ryan were walking it after they had moved their things from the field to the beach.

"Here. For you." He handed the shell to Ryan. 

"For me?" Ryan asked, looking at the shell, flat on his palm. It was a pretty little thing.

"Yes. For you."

"Oh." Ryan felt blush in his cheeks. Sometimes the King wondered what he was going to do with himself if something as simple as Brendon smiling and giving him a seashell caused him to feel the way he was feeling in his heart at that moment. 

"Thank you, love," Ryan placed the shell gently into his pocket as not to break it. He'd still have it, and he would still look at it, decades from then.

"Happy Birthday." Brendon kissed him on the cheek.

"It isn't my birthday until tomorrow."

"Consider it an early gift. I am hardly spoiling you with a seashell. But I think I will be spoiling you when I remove my shirt to go in the water, now won't I?"

"That is not helping with lover's eyes as you said," Ryan told him. If Brendon wanted to be full of himself, Ryan wasn't going to play along, even if what he said was true.

Brendon made a shrugging motion with his shoulders. He swept Ryan off of his feet. "I guess there's nothing we can do then, is there?" He began wading into the rich blue water with Ryan in his arms.


	11. It has been a little while...

Short story is that I suck and was super blocked on this au. So sorry about that.

But I would like to continue it if anyone still wants me to. I think I will be able to get a chapter out for it soon and do more after that.

I guess let me know if there is still any interest in this au? Because I do like and it is fun to write when I am not blocked.

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this because History is my fave and last week I was watching a bunch of period films and got bored and was like "why not?". I'm not sure what this is gonna turn into. I am just gonna keep adding to Ryan and Brendon's royal lives as I go. Leave me a kudos or something if you want me to continue it. It's not set in any specific country. Arrenbourg is not real obviously. I plan on taking elements from several countries and time periods to make up its customs and the like.


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